Friday, August 01, 2008

Los Flores

Tuesday Day 9.

I'm kind of over it. This whole business of waking up at 4:30 to wait for transportation that arrives 45 minutes late just to fight waves and figure out how to get a good one in a crowd. Today's transportation hiccup was boats. The largest of our group couldn't go because the boat would probably sink. These were very simple fishing boats with outboard motors and a few benches. He is that big... so big his stomach is split and his butt crack sticks out of his surf trunk when he paddles.

Last night was another hellish night of crazy tired but no sleep. Up at 4:45 for some really magnificent waves. At that place I cannot mention. Only, Goggles had a huge problem with the way I caught a wave, and hopped me intentionally to teach me something. I was furious at him and he wouldn't budge his position, so I paddled north and caught some really nice big ones by myself. It was something about taking turns. The problem is on a bodyboard, nobody gives you a turn so you just go when something comes up.

The day before we'd surfed twice at K59. Three of the four treks from the van to the beach I ended up walking alone. We later discovered that someone had been robbed there, it wasn't safe. Great. Another great wave we cannot go to. When I got out of the water a local guy talked to me, he'd liked my waves. I kept an eye on my fins but he seemed cool. I was so tired anyone could have taken me. Half way up the walk to the van I got a ride in the back of a pickup truck. One of the guys spoke fluent English so I was able to tell them to stop when we passed the van.

After the Monday morning session we visited children in this huge orphanage, giving the kids squirt guns and playing with them. A church group from Missouri was doing construction; the already large place was growing. Mostly kids end up there because their parents can't afford to keep them. Anna took over a class for a few minutes and taught the kids to say "John is hairy."

That morning's surf I almost felt like my legs were getting used to all this activity. I arrived cut and bruised from riverboarding and will leave with infections and more bruises. The busted up finger isn't bothering me too much, but it's still very sore to touch. I vow when I get home to exercise, then this sort of vacation won't be too draining.

After the orphanage and lunch, we piled into the vans and headed south. Just outside San Salvadore we saw a man we'd talked with from El Zonte. I guess he heard the swell was big and decided to drive down too. So Punta Roca is the second best wave in El Salvador. Today we discovered #1.

We're staying at a surf resort at Los Flores. It's a large outdoor restaurant and bar with a bunch of hammocks strung up, pool, and some hotel rooms. John thought we could all sleep in the hammocks. Problem was, the Brazilians there picked that night to stay up til 2:30 hollering and partying as loud as they could be, and the room I ended up in didn't have a/c so we coudln't shut the windows. I'd hoped to get one of the back rooms with air conditioning; a guy from Vancouver named Sasha started talking to me and said they had an extra bed. A couple hours later I asked his cousin if I could stay there and he said he wasn't comfortable with it. My batteries in my cd player were dead and my fan had quit working (turns out it was just bad batteries, something a $7 investment would have taken care of.) Around 3am a loud engine roared, tires squealed and the noise abated... just in time for the snoring to kick in as I was sharing a room with four men. I got about 15 minutes of sleep when John came in and told us to get ready to go to the boat.

Which is why today I don't mind paying $65 for my own room. If I get someone to share it great, it will be cheaper. It's huge. Concrete and rock floor, oriental rugs, hand hewn wooden queen bed and full-sized bunk bed. Big ole shower with river rock and concrete. For a few hours I relished in the privacy of quiet air conditioning and a good firm bed.